The Keeper of Lost Things

Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life lovingly collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before. Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant, Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners.

First Deadly Conspiracy - Box Set: McRyan Mystery Series, Books 1-3

Fans of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense will enjoy these fast-moving stories of murder, greed, and treason, the cast of colorful characters, and their setting in and around historic St. Paul, Minnesota. This bundle includes First Case, The St. Paul Conspiracy, and Deadly Stillwater.

Armed and Outrageous: An Agnes Barton Mystery , Book 1

Agnes Barton is not your typical senior citizen living in Tadium, MI, on the shores of Lake Huron. She drives a red hot Mustang, shops at Victoria's Secret, rankles local police officials, and has a knack for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. What does a murder that happened forty-three years ago have to do with missing tourist Jennifer Martin? Agnes makes it her personal mission to find out, and she's not letting the fact she's seventy-two get in the way.

A Gift from Bob

From the day James rescued a street cat abandoned in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, they began a friendship which has transformed both their lives and, through the bestselling books A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob, touched millions around the world.

Ghostly Paws: Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1

Middle age can be murder.... At least that's how it seems to former crime journalist Wilhelmina Chance, whose near-fatal accident has given her a strange side effect: She sees ghosts. After a messy divorce sends her fleeing back to her hometown of Mystic Notch, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Willa finds herself haunted by the tenacious ghost of the town librarian, who insists Willa solve her murder.

The Sweet Dreams Bake Shop: Sweet Cove Mystery Series #1

Angie Roseland runs the Sweet Dreams Bake Shop in the seacoast town of Sweet Cove, Massachusetts. The building's new owners are not renewing the bake shop's lease, and Angie is running out of time to find a new location. When one of the town's longtime residents is murdered, Angie finds herself on the suspect list. With the help of her three sisters and a huge orange cat, Angie works to uncover the killer's identity.

Amazon Customer says:"Great read"

Publisher's Summary

Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn't, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park. But a violent death brings Detective Peter Dourson into the close-knit group, and he is convinced someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers secrets, Lia struggles to cope with warring emotions and a killer watches.

Starting with a prologue that is told in a killer’s point of view, C.A. Newsome has added an interesting twist to the cozy mystery genre with the inset. While ostensibly the story is focused on a group of regulars at a dog park, the story works on several different levels that may be disconcerting for some readers.

Firstly, the dogs: I am a huge fan of do-related stories, and the particular insets of the many dogs and their associated personalities, as well as their relationships and correlations to their owners is cleverly done. There are several characters introduced in the story, and it does make it a bit more difficult to narrow down the more important players from the group. What is very well done is the cold, calculating and distinctly written and narrated point of view insets from the murderer him (or her) self. Kudos to the author for the stylistic switch: and to the narration by Jane Boyer in which she imbues a harder and more calculating quality to the voicing of those sections. It is a quality that is often overlooked in audiobook narration, particular intention behind a character’s narration and tone, and she excelled at this story.

But back to the story itself: I really did enjoy this, even with the lack of a comeuppance for the murderer, or even a sense that you are certain the murderer has been named. Possibly muddled by the many characters, there was a sense that the second book will not only provide the reason for this murder, and fully explain the intentions of the culprit. In this, the mystery portion of the story has the potential to disappoint some readers who want to have a final wrap up that is defined and obvious, but I particularly appreciated the openness and quality of the stylistic differences that made this story unlike any I have previously encountered.

I own this book in two forms, I purchased a Kindle copy, and I was fortunate to win the AudioBook version of the story. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Rusty

Georgia

28/09/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Dog gone it"

As a huge dog lover, I had high hopes for this series but I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Maybe if the dogs talked and the humans were quiet...

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Annamarie Woo

Cincinnati, OH

09/06/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A Fun Romp in the Park - WOOF Plus rating"

If you could sum up A Shot in the Bark in three words, what would they be?

A Good Read!

What other book might you compare A Shot in the Bark to and why?

The sequel, Drool Baby, of course.

Which character – as performed by Jane Boyer – was your favorite?

Anna

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

An entertaining Sunday read and listen. I read the book but Jane Boyer's narration made it come alive. I had fun hearing about places in my hometown, The Queen City.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Paul

Cincinnati, OH, United States

06/07/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fun story with a twist."

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Highly recommend this book! Realistic characters. A personable mystery that had me hooked from the beginning.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Shot in the Bark?

The plotting by the murderer.

What about Jane Boyer’s performance did you like?

Her variety of voices are good. Female voices are better than male. Can tell that she is acting and not just reading the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed at the doggy mischief.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Farrell

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

26/04/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Average"

An OK little mystery. Nothing special but was a nice listen, worth a few hours. I like how the murderer was done, and how the book left off, chilling.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

June Sechowski

19/01/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Too much time inside the killer's mind"

Would you try another book from C. A. Newsome and/or Jane Boyer?

Maybe.

Would you recommend A Shot in the Bark to your friends? Why or why not?

No. I have decided not to read books where I spend more than a minimal amount of time inside the killer's mind. I don't think that's healthy. I like mysteries because they present a puzzle to solve. I don't want to empathize or even listen to the thoughts of someone who could hurt another person purposefully. This is not up-building. It's troubling.

What three words best describe Jane Boyer’s performance?

Pleasing, smooth, scary.

Any additional comments?

I didn't find the voice of Peter very masculine.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

K.S. Haigwood

Arkansas, USA

01/11/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great Mystery"

Would you listen to A Shot in the Bark again? Why?

Yes. It was a great mystery full of suspense and even a little romance.

What other book might you compare A Shot in the Bark to and why?

I don't normally read in the mystery genre, so I don't have a comparison, but the author's writing style is great.

Have you listened to any of Jane Boyer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but she was very good, and each character was distinct.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to give any of the plot away, but I really enjoyed the romance part of the book between Lea and Peter.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Lish71

allentown, pa

22/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"not great"

the narrator was ok but not great. there was a lot of repetition in the story especially the questioning by the detective. I've of the main characters Leah, was annoying. always confused our feeling guilty. I don't know that I will read more despite the fact that the killer was not revealed.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

romance addict

20/10/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"good up until the end then it fell flat"

I was looking forward to the Big Reveal of the serial killer whose monologue ran throughout the book. The ending was disappointing both in terms of the heroine's and Hero's relationship and the cliffhanger of not revealing the killer.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Arthur D Matthews

17/08/16

Overall

"The Villain. never gets captured."

This Dog mystery reads more like a love story than a mystery story.However I did enjoy the mystery parts of this story and I like dogs.Again the villain was never captured for dective Peter pays all his attention to his new friendnot enough to solving this murder.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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